Wednesday, July 5

Understatement of the year.

North Korea has test-fired at least six missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2, despite repeated warnings from the international community.

Oh, yippee. Aren't you glad that those men of peace, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, did so much for peace? When North Korea launch the war, which should we lynch first?

Anyway.

The BBC's Charles Scanlon in Seoul says the North has been feeling under pressure and ignored in recent months, with the US refusing to negotiate on its demands over its nuclear plans.

Its nuclear plans, as eny fule no, involve threatening other states with nuclear missiles in order to extort and probably invade them. Which bit should the US negotiate over, do you think?

Long-running talks over North Korea's nuclear capabilities have stalled, with six-party negotiations on the issue being repeatedly postponed as neither Washington nor Pyongyang are prepared to give ground.

I love the implied equivalence there. "We want to nuke people!" "We'd rather you didn't." Both parties are simply refusing to give ground.

But here's the best bit:

North Korea may see this action as a way to get attention and break the diplomatic log jam, our correspondent adds.

Yes, that's clearly what they're trying to do: break a diplomatic log-jam. Much like France did with Greenpeace.